Upon Twilight's initial publication, the book generally received positive reviews, which acted as a catalyst to spread its popularity. Some fanatics hailed the book and called hot new teen novel, an iconic love story for a whole generation, and realistic, subtle, succinct, and easy to follow, Twilight will have readers dying to sink their teeth into it. The widespread appeal of the novels and the huge online fan community of the series are often noted, and the author and the series' popularity are often compared with J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter. Meyer responds to such comparisons, saying, "It's terribly flattering to be compared to her, but there's never going to be another J.K. Rowling; that's a phenomenon that's not gonna happen again", however noting that "you can compare my fans to her fans more easily [than me to her]. I do think that we both have people who are just really enthusiastic, and will come miles to see you and be involved, and everybody really cares about our characters." A social networking community for Twilight fans has over 200,000 members at the series' official site, and the series has spawned hundreds of fansites. The Twilight series' popularity and enthusiastic fan following have grabbed media attention and been dubbed "The Twilight Phenomenon". Economically, the town of Forks, Washington, the setting for the Twilight series, has improved due to tourism from fans of the books. Forks are visited by an average of 8,000 tourists per month, and have been described as a "Mecca for Twilighters".
Main characters
1. Isabella "Bella" Swan – The protagonist of the series, teenager Bella is a perpetually clumsy "danger magnet", with dark brown hair and brown eyes. She is often portrayed as having low self-esteem and unable to comprehend Edward's love for her. She has immunity to supernatural abilities involving the mind, such as Edward's mind-reading ability. After her transformation into a vampire in the saga's fourth installment, Bella acquires the ability to shield both herself and others from "mental harm" from other vampires.
2. Edward Cullen – Edward is a vampire who lives with a coven of like-minded vampires known as the Cullen family, who feed on animals rather than humans. Over the course of the Twilight series, Edward falls in love with, marries, and has a child with Bella. At first, Edward feels a mutual hatred toward Jacob Black because of his love for Bella, but in Breaking Dawn he comes to see Jacob as a brother and friend. Like some vampires, Edward has a supernatural ability, mind reading; it allows him to read anyone's thoughts within a few miles radius. Bella is immune to his power as a human, but learns how to lower this "shield" after her transformation to a vampire.
3. Jacob Black – A minor character in the first novel, Jacob is introduced as a member of the Quileute tribe. He resurfaces in New Moon with a much larger role, becoming a werewolf and Bella's best friend as she struggles through her depression over losing Edward. Although he is in love with Bella, she initially sees him as just her best friend. In Twilight Saga: Eclipse Bella realizes that she loves Jacob as well, though this love is overpowered by her love for Edward Cullen. In Breaking Dawn, Jacob finds a soulmate in Bella and Edward's baby daughter, Renesmee, ridding him of his heartache for Bella.
Main characters
1. Isabella "Bella" Swan – The protagonist of the series, teenager Bella is a perpetually clumsy "danger magnet", with dark brown hair and brown eyes. She is often portrayed as having low self-esteem and unable to comprehend Edward's love for her. She has immunity to supernatural abilities involving the mind, such as Edward's mind-reading ability. After her transformation into a vampire in the saga's fourth installment, Bella acquires the ability to shield both herself and others from "mental harm" from other vampires.
2. Edward Cullen – Edward is a vampire who lives with a coven of like-minded vampires known as the Cullen family, who feed on animals rather than humans. Over the course of the Twilight series, Edward falls in love with, marries, and has a child with Bella. At first, Edward feels a mutual hatred toward Jacob Black because of his love for Bella, but in Breaking Dawn he comes to see Jacob as a brother and friend. Like some vampires, Edward has a supernatural ability, mind reading; it allows him to read anyone's thoughts within a few miles radius. Bella is immune to his power as a human, but learns how to lower this "shield" after her transformation to a vampire.
3. Jacob Black – A minor character in the first novel, Jacob is introduced as a member of the Quileute tribe. He resurfaces in New Moon with a much larger role, becoming a werewolf and Bella's best friend as she struggles through her depression over losing Edward. Although he is in love with Bella, she initially sees him as just her best friend. In Twilight Saga: Eclipse Bella realizes that she loves Jacob as well, though this love is overpowered by her love for Edward Cullen. In Breaking Dawn, Jacob finds a soulmate in Bella and Edward's baby daughter, Renesmee, ridding him of his heartache for Bella.
